How to knit a turtle

Have you tried making toys? There are so many great patterns for absolutely adorable toys that are knitted or crocheted. Toys are relatively quick gifts to make that will never be the wrong size or out grown too quickly. It is possible to make toys within any budget by using inexpensive fibers or luxurious fibers or anything in between. Toys are also a great way of using small amounts of left over yarn from larger projects.

Photo by Ruth Homrighaus ( http://sheldontheturtle.blogspot.com/)

Today, I would like to introduce you to Sheldon the turtle designed by Ruth Homringhaus. Sheldon was published in the Winter 2006 edition of Knitty, a free online knitting magazine. The pattern requires knitting on double pointed needles as well as straights, shaping, i-cord, carrying a second color of yarn, seaming, and single crochet. Knitty considers this pattern to be at the skill level of “tangy” which could be considered an advanced beginner to intermediate knitter.

The pattern calls for knitting with a pima cotton and modal yarn which is a great suggestion for its washability and softness. Modal is a fiber that is made from cellulose from beech trees. It is known for both its softness and durability. Modal is often combined with cotton to make a gorgeous, versatile fabric. There are many other types of fibers that would also work well with this pattern. If Sheldon is being made for a child a machine washable yarn would be appreciated by the parents for ease of bathing Sheldon when he becomes well-loved. Also, children would likely prefer a soft, smooth yarn like the suggested pima cotton and modal yarn. A super wash merino wool sock yarn would work beautifully to make a smaller Sheldon. Ravelry users can follow this link to see what yarns other Ravelers have used.

Sheldon has been knit in varying weights of yarn with accompanying needle sizes ranging from zero to ten and a half. The appropriate needles to use would be whatever needles you are able to get gauge for the weight of yarn you choose to use. It is important to adjust your needle size to ensure that you are getting gauge. When knitted toys are stuffed, it is important that the fabric is tight enough that the stuffing is not coming through the fabric. Many knitters dread doing a gauge swatch. If you know you are a loose knitter go down a needle size or two and start with knitting one of the limbs. Then stuff the limb and see how it looks. Is the stuffing coming out through your stitches or is the fabric tight enough? Look at that~you just tricked yourself into doing a gauge swatch!

Sheldon can also be a great baby gift. The body and head could contain a rattle inside of the stuffing. Do you like to embroider? The eyes could be embroidered on using French knots. A simple backstitch could be shaped into crescents to look like Sheldon is sleeping. How are your hand sewing skills? You could hand sew felt as eyes. Yet another option would be to use the knitting technique of duplicate stitch. Of course, a washable yarn would be ideal in a color that would help to hide stains.

Sheldon is quite popular. He has a blog and the pattern has been translated into French and Hebrew. Sheldon has not one, but two flickr groups. There is all sorts of inspiration for making Sheldon your very own. Have fun! Be creative! You can dress Sheldon up for Halloween. You could download a free pattern to dress Sheldon as a pirate, cowboy, policeman, super hero, beach bum, lion, bee, bat, or sheep. You could even make a sweater or a blanket to carry your Sheldon along.

5 Responses

Sheldon is so cute! Looks like a relatively easy knit too, with very little (if any) seaming (I just skimmed through the pattern REALLY quickly). I made a teddy bear for my nephew that was knit in one piece and had just one seam up the back, and a sweater done in the round. I also made a bunny which required every limb to be seamed up and sewn together and included a pair of cute little overalls that also required assembly. I left that part of the project for my brother to finish as I have a strong dislike for seaming pieces together by hand.

I don’t have any green in my stash, but I’m sure I’ve got some leftover browns that would make a cute little Sheldon!

Oh my goodness I love Sheldon and I am thinking my granddaughter would love him too! You are right about toys making great gifts and I love projects that go quickly. I may try your gauge method – I surely do hate doing swatches!
What a great idea to make Sheldon outfits – the gift that keeps on giving!